I've been in search of a reliable, accurate, and ergonomic .308 Semi-Auto rifle for some time. I've owned M1As, FALs, and AR10/SR25 varients. While they are all generally good rifles when they are built right, they each have their downsides. I've been waiting for the LWRC REPR which is essentially a blend of all of the above.
I finally got my hands on a 20" REPR, which is LWRC's "precision" version. Out of the box it looks really good. Clean machining and excellent fit/finish. It seems light for it's size, mainly because it balances quite well. Some of the features you immediately notice are the left side mounted non-reciprocating bolt handle(ala FAL), ambi bolt stop, the Geisselle match trigger, and the gas knob on the front end with 4 settings(Normal, Supressed, Adverse, and off). The handguard is comfortable and smooth with threaded holes to attach the included rail sections as needed.
I mounted a scope and got it out to the range twice this weekend and it shot great. My first 20 or so rounds were with 07' vintage M118 match and most groups were in the 1-1.25" range. After a few quick swabs and a few more M118 the groups shrank to the 1/2"-1" area where it settled in at consistant 1/2-3/4". The evening before I had thrown together some handloads with some once fired Lapua/BH match, using 4064 and Varget. Firing handloaded 155gr Scenars and 175gr SMKs the groups went down to 1/2" or better with a few groups hovering around the 1/4" mark. At 200 and 300 yards it was still holding an inch and 1.5-2" respectively, but it was getting dark so I might have done a little better if time allowed.
After 200 or so rounds there were no malfunctions and the gun was very pleasant to shoot. After the range session, the bolt and interior of the reciever was as clean as a whistle. Obviously it's too soon to tell if it's going to go the distance, but if it continues to shoot like this, it'll be a keeper. I'm going to get out to the range again next week and spend a little more time with it. Here's a few pics:
I finally got my hands on a 20" REPR, which is LWRC's "precision" version. Out of the box it looks really good. Clean machining and excellent fit/finish. It seems light for it's size, mainly because it balances quite well. Some of the features you immediately notice are the left side mounted non-reciprocating bolt handle(ala FAL), ambi bolt stop, the Geisselle match trigger, and the gas knob on the front end with 4 settings(Normal, Supressed, Adverse, and off). The handguard is comfortable and smooth with threaded holes to attach the included rail sections as needed.
I mounted a scope and got it out to the range twice this weekend and it shot great. My first 20 or so rounds were with 07' vintage M118 match and most groups were in the 1-1.25" range. After a few quick swabs and a few more M118 the groups shrank to the 1/2"-1" area where it settled in at consistant 1/2-3/4". The evening before I had thrown together some handloads with some once fired Lapua/BH match, using 4064 and Varget. Firing handloaded 155gr Scenars and 175gr SMKs the groups went down to 1/2" or better with a few groups hovering around the 1/4" mark. At 200 and 300 yards it was still holding an inch and 1.5-2" respectively, but it was getting dark so I might have done a little better if time allowed.
After 200 or so rounds there were no malfunctions and the gun was very pleasant to shoot. After the range session, the bolt and interior of the reciever was as clean as a whistle. Obviously it's too soon to tell if it's going to go the distance, but if it continues to shoot like this, it'll be a keeper. I'm going to get out to the range again next week and spend a little more time with it. Here's a few pics:
